Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Boden

For one person, living is cheaper in Medellin: $1,639 a month against $1,770 in Boden, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Boden despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Boden
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Boden Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Boden

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Boden

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Boden actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,639 per month in Medellin vs $1,770 in Boden, rent included.

Medellin $1,639
Boden $1,770

A couple spends around $2,413 per month in Medellin vs $2,754 in Boden, rent included.

Medellin $2,413
Boden $2,754

A family of three spends $3,186 per month in Medellin vs $3,739 in Boden, rent included.

Medellin $3,186
Boden $3,739

Medellin is about 7% cheaper than Boden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medellin and Boden sit above the global median – Medellin by 20%, Boden by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.4K

$18.64 SEK 185

-56.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.0K

$74.7 SEK 742

-37.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 29.9K

$10.01 SEK 99.4

-5.09%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,485

$4.35 SEK 43.18

-30.80%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,660

$1.59 SEK 15.84

13.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,443

$2.22 SEK 22.00

-36.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 9,990

$7.22 SEK 71.7

-55.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.1K

$6.50 SEK 64.6

-11.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,751

$1.52 SEK 15.10

-0.66%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,480

$2.77 SEK 27.49

-14.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,573

$3.39 SEK 33.68

-47.79%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,093

$4.04 SEK 40.16

-28.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.1K

$12.16 SEK 121

-16.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.1K

$12.15 SEK 121

-18.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.0K

$17.39 SEK 173

-19.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.5K

$2.99 SEK 29.70

32.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,883

$2.56 SEK 25.46

-39.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,867

$3.04 SEK 30.17

-28.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,870

$4.21 SEK 41.86

-48.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,174

$1.60 SEK 15.86

22.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,000

$1.63 SEK 16.21

-2.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,604

$2.23 SEK 22.15

-48.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,911

$1.44 SEK 14.26

-13.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$10.29 SEK 102

-61.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.0K

$10.30 SEK 102

32.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,221

$1.98 SEK 19.71

-16.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,103

$2.21 SEK 21.90

2.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,674

$3.36 SEK 33.38

-65.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 243.4K

$71.3 SEK 708

8.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 3,989

$5.83 SEK 57.9

-78.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,442

$1.51 SEK 14.96

35.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 26.9K

$53.9 SEK 535

-84.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,237

$1.93 SEK 19.19

-30.05%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K COP 107.2M

$25.4K SEK 252.1K

34.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 109.1M

$32.6K SEK 323.4K

6.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 COP 533.7K

$103 SEK 1,022

64.88%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.55 COP 42.6K

$25.25 SEK 251

-46.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.3K

$39.16 SEK 389

-28.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 137.5K

$57.8 SEK 574

-24.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.1K

$20.12 SEK 200

-14.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.7K

$12.48 SEK 124

-44.63%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$797 COP 2.5M

$158 SEK 1,572

403.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.7M

$5,245 SEK 52.1K

73.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 266.5K

$98.7 SEK 980

-14.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 182.3K

$40.77 SEK 405

42.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 424.6K

$91.3 SEK 907

47.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 307.9K

$140 SEK 1,390

-30.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$894 SEK 8,878

35.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$604 SEK 6,002

6.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,367 SEK 13.6K

48.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$994 SEK 9,868

1.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.1M

$4,214 SEK 41.9K

-1.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$2,804 SEK 27.8K

-31.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

$3,822 SEK 38.0K

-82.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

3.4

221.76%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Boden: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Boden

$604 34.2% 5.8% $37

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Boden

$355 20% 19.4% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Boden

$167 9.5% 20.8% $44

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Boden

$296 16.7% 74.3% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Boden

$167 9.4% 1.3% $2.1

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Boden

$98 5.5% 4.9% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Boden

$83 4.7% 43.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,208 in Medellin versus $894 in Boden. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Boden are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Medellin versus $75 in Boden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $355 – making Medellin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇸🇪 Boden

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

6 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

18,680

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.18 USD

10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3,146 COP (10,000 COP = 3.18 USD). 1 EUR = 3,502 COP (10,000 COP = 2.86 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.06 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Boden 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Boden

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Boden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Boden is pricier by about 8%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,459 per month in Medellin and $2,655 in Boden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Boden, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $894 there versus $1,208 in Medellin.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,639 in Medellin and $1,770 in Boden. That’s a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Boden. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,639 in Medellin and $1,770 in Boden, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,639 in Medellin to $1,770 in Boden. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Medellin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Boden makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.